Author: Minivan News

New taxi regulation raises maximum fares to MVR25

The Transport Authority of Maldives has gazetted a new taxi regulation, changing the maximum fare from MVR20 to MVR25. Maximum fares from midnight to 6:00am will be MVR30.

An extra MVR5 can be charged for a single item of luggage put in the trunk of the taxi, and MVR10 for more than one item.

Taxi centers are yet to decide upon changing the fare to this amount. In the past, all centers have changed fares together. One taxi driver talking to Minivan News said he is still charging MVR20 during unsociable hours, but hopes that all centers will agree to a fixed fare as soon as possible.

The new regulation prohibits both taxi drivers and customers from playing any audio or video without permission from each other, with the exception of mobile phones and communications set in the taxi.

The new regulation require taxi drivers to carry luggage into and out of the vehicle.

It also requires taxi center name and phone number to be printed on each taxi and to have ‘taxi-top’ signs that indicate whether it is vacant or not. A transport authority SMS hotline will also be introduced for complaints against services.

The Taxi Regulation can be found here (PDF in Dhivehi).

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Corruption case against former media council members continues

The Anti-Corruption Commission has forwarded the cases of seven former members of the Maldives Media Council (MMC) accused of ignoring a directive to return allowances deemed illegal, local media has reported.

Sun Online has reported that charged are being pursued against a total of 10 former MMC members.

A 2011 Auditor General’s report revealed that members took almost Rf 900,000 in additional allowances – fees which the MMC subsequently asked to be returned.

The report stated that the living allowance was an illegal expense, despite parliament having approved the MMC’s budget which included the allowance. It was noted that the MMC had behaved inappropriately for an institution that was required by nature to have the trust and confidence of the public.

The following year’s audit report revealed that 13 of the MMC’s members had failed to return the MVR7,500 (US$478).

A recent survey conducted by local NGO Transparency Maldives revealed that only 12 percent of those interviewed believed public officials and civil servants to be free from corruption.

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Repeated delays in trial of second Afrasheem murder suspect

At the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO), the Criminal Court has delayed the trial of Ali Shan, the second suspect charged with the murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali.

The last hearing was held in May this year. The Criminal Court had given Shan the opportunity to appoint a lawyer. Shan has pleaded innocent.

Progressive Party of Maldives MP Dr Afrasheem Ali was stabbed to death on the night of October 1, 2012, on the staircase of his home.

A PGO official said the office was waiting for a verdict in the case against the chief suspect in the murder Hussain Humam before proceeding with the case against Shan.

The Criminal Court has concluded hearings into Human’s trial.

Police have forwarded cases of four additional individuals to the PGO for their alleged involvement in Afrasheem’s murder – taking the total number of suspects facing charges over the attack to seven.

Azleef Rauf, Shaahin Mohamed, Adam Salaah, a minor named ‘Nangi’ and Abdulla ‘Jaa’ Javid – son-in-law of opposition Maldivian Democratic Party Chair ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik – stand accused of aiding and abetting the murder,

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Total of 892 MDP candidates to compete in local council elections

Speaking to media today, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik said the forms for all 892 candidates that won MDP tickets for the upcoming local council elections scheduled for  January 18, 2014 have been handed over to the Elections Commission.

Moosa said in constituencies without an MDP candidate, the party will endorse independent candidates. He said the details of this will be revealed soon.

Meanwhile the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has previously announced it will be contesting a total of 627 seats in this election.

The PPM and the ruling “Unity Coalition” members will work jointly in these elections to gain maximum seats. The Jumhooree Party, the second biggest in the coalition, will be contesting for more than 340 seats.

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Presidential residence expenditure to increase next year

Despite President Abdulla Yameen’s decision to live in his own residence, the allocated budget for the official presidential residence “Muleeaage’” will be MVR 19.1 million next year, a MVR2 million increase from this year.

The chair of Parliament’s Budget Review Committee Gasim Ibrahim expressed the need to have the required budget allocation in case President Yameen decides to move to a state funded residence, CNM reports.

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Maldives pays final respects to Nelson Mandela

Minister at the President’s Office Hussain Shareef has paid final respects to former South African President Nelson Mandela on behalf of the Maldivian people.

The former president lay in state in Pretoria for three days, before being flown to his home town of Qunu for burial. A reported 100,000 people journeyed to see the president as he lay in the Union Buildings of the country’s administrative capital.

Shareef offered condolences to Mandela’s family on behalf of President Abdulla Yameen and Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed – both of whom had signed the Maldives’ own book of condolences for the leader Yameen described as“the greatest statesman the world has seen”.

Yameen ordered the Maldives national flag to be flown at half-mast the weekend following Mandela’s passing.

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Cabinet split into economic and social councils

President Abdulla Yameen has divided his cabinet ministers into two sub groups – categorized as the Social Council and the Economic Council, the President’s Office has today revealed.

The Social Council is compiled of the Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, the Minister of Education Aishath Shiham, Minister of Environment Thoriq Ibrahim, and the Minister of Gender and Health Mariyam Shakeela.

According to council member Shaheem, it will be headed by Vice President Mohamed Jameel Ahmed.

While this still leaves eleven other cabinet members, the compilation of the Economic Council has not been announced yet.

President’s Office Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali was not responding to calls at the time of press.

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Finance Minister joins ruling Progressive Party of Maldives

Recently reappointed Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad has joined President Abdulla Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), becoming the second cabinet member to join the party this week.

Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim – also reappointed to his position after Yameen’s recent inauguration – announced his decision to join the PPM yesterday, commenting on social media that he had opted to join what he viewed as the most democratic party in the country.

Jihad told local media that his decision had come after a request made by former President  and Leader of the PPM Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

He also revealed that the finance minister position in the cabinet had been reserved for a PPM member. The PPM is currently the second largest political party in the Maldives, both in terms of party members and MPs.

“My decision was based on President Maumoon’s request. I have always been of PPM’s ideologies and philosophies,” Jihad told Sun Online.

Gayoom himself released a tweet yesterday thanking Jihad for his decision: “U will be a great asset to us”.

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President Yameen invited to visit Sri Lanka by Rajapaksa

President Abdulla Yameen has been invited to visit Sri Lanka by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The letter of invitation was given to Yameen today when Sri Lankan High Commissioner Dickson Sarathchandra Dela paid a call to the President’s Office today.

“The High Commissioner also praised the smooth and peaceful manner in which the presidential election was held in the Maldives,” the President’s Office reported.

Meanwhile, local media today reported that Maldivian tourists visiting Sri Lanks had increased by 83 percent in the 12 months leading to October this year. Sun Online reported that 46,805 Maldivians had visited Sri Lanks in the first 10 months of 2013.

After discussing the increasing bilateral relations in the fields of health, education, and security at the President’s Office today, Sarathchandra expressed Sri Lanka’s eagerness to work with the new Government of Maldives.

Yameen’s first official visit as president will be to India on December 22.

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